Liquid lift pump



April 4, 1933. P. R. ALPHoNso LIQUID LIFT PUMP Filed March 2s, '1932 2 sheets-sheet 1 IN VEN TOR.

lvl/237 A TTORNEY.

IIIIIIIII nlllllll llllllllll April 4, 1933. P. R. ALPHoNso LIQUID LIFII PUMP Filed March 26, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. feer /'1 77/0/2/50 into the lower end of which fluid in the we-llV member.

Patented Apr. 4, 1933 UNITED `s 'rix'rlzsA rnTER n. ALPEoNso, or LONGVIEW, TEXAS, Assienonmo THE ARGENT conronATIoN,

Parrain?` OFFICE OF SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA, A CORPORATION OF LOUISIANA` LIQUID LIFT PUMP Application med March 26, 1932. vsemi No. 601,392.

The invention relatesto fluid lift pumps used in connect-ion with artesian wells, and has for its objectto provide a deviceof this character comprising'V a casing rises, under natural pressure; an axially and cent-rally disposed discharge pipe within the casing and means whereby air or other pressure may be forced downwardly between-the discharge pipe andv casing wall for exerting pressure on the liquid in the casing and forcing the liquid upwardly through theaxially and centrally disposed discharge pipe, thereby reducing the area of liquid contact surface to a minimum. 4

A further object is to provide a fluid lift pump comprising a discharge pipe within and in spaced relation to the inner `periphery of a well casing, and throughwhich discharge pipe liquid is forced upwardly by pressure, forced downwardly through the casing around the discharge pipe. The discharging through the discharge pipe, instead of between the discharge -pipeand casing, reduces the friction on the liquidto a. minimum.

A further object is to interp'ose in the discharge pipe line a connecting member substantially Y-shaped, to the lower arm of which is connected a depending portion of the discharge pipe in a manner whereby air, passing downwardly through the Y and around the upper portion of the discharge pipe, will be discharged into the lower end of the casing for forcing liquid upwardly and between the arms of the Ysshaped member into the discharge pipe connected to the Y-shaped A further object is to provide a. detachable connection between the upper portion of the discharge pipe and the upper end of the Y- shaped member for supporting the ,upper portion of the discharge pipe, and to provide v a threadedV connection between the upper portion of the casing and the upper portion of the Y-shaped member within the upper end of the lower large portion of the casing, and to provide a packing joint for preventing leakage.

vA further object is to provide one of the Y casing Vsections with a sleeve, in which-is threaded a bushing, which in turn vhasthreaded therein a packing connection 'sleeve and lock nuts ythreaded onsaid sleeve and cosame in adjusted position.

A further object is to provide a slide piston in the lower end of the casing and controlling an intakeport through which liquid, such for instance as oil, lrises into the lower end ofv the casing, after passing through apertures in an inner casing and means whereby air forced downwardly through thev chamber around the discharge pipe will lift said liquid to the discharge pipe. Y 7' i A further object is -to provide a fluid pump comprising an innerand uter casing, and means whereby'air pressure may be forced downwardly between the casings to a point adjacent the lower ends thereofand then byy passed into the inner casing and discharged between the casingsin a position where liquid will be lifted thereby,"and which liquid is finally discharged fromthe pump through the inner casing. Y

A further object is to provide a fluid pumpV with means whereby fluid naturally arising in the pump will be forced from the pump or well by air pressure transferred from ,casings within eachother to positions where fluid will be' first lifted between casing sections and linally discharged through the finner casing, thereby reducing the frictional engagement of the iluid with contacting surfaces toaminimum. f

' A furtherf'object is to provide .a sliding operating with the bushing for holding the A valve in the lower end of the inner casing, which valve 1s normally maintained in. raised Y ral pressure into and between the casings, and which valve,upon vinitial air pressure, is seated thereby bypassing the air pressure between thecasingsfor lifting the fluid.

With thev above and other objects` in Vview the invention resides in the combination) and arrangement of parts as hereinafter set forth, shown inV the drawings,

in the precise embodiment ofthe invention may be made within thescope of `what is Y position, allowing flow of fluid under natudescribed and v claimed, itbeing understoodthat changes vFigure 1 is a vertical transverse sectional View through the upper portion of the device.

Figure 1a is a Vertical transverse view through the lower portion of the device. Y

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional View through the central portion of the device,taken at a right angle toth'atfshown in Figurel.

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view,`

' providing a U-shaped member 16, the liquid taken on line 4-4 of Figure 1a.

Figure 5 is a'horizontalsectional View taken on line '5*5 of Figure 1a.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates; the upper section of the well casing and 2 the lower section, which sections are adapted to be disposed in a well in the usual manner. The upper section 1 ofthe casing is of smaller diameter than the lower section and extends downwardly into the upper end of the Vlower section 2 as cl-early shown in Figure 1. Threaded at 3 on the upper end of section 2 of the casing is a sleeve 4,v in which sleeve is threaded a bushing 5, which supports the packingsleeve 6, which is threaded at 7 therethrough. It will be seen that by adjusting the bushing 5, packing sleeve Gmay be adjusted upwardly or downwardly to accommodate the same to the packing gland S. Threaded on the packingsleeve 6 is a lock nut 9 for locking the sleeve against rotation afterV an adjustment thereof. Slidably mounted on the casing section 1, and extending into the sleeve 6 is a gland bushing which cooperated with the packing 8 for forming a water or fluid tight connection. Packing material 8 may be of any kind, for instance, lead or a fibrous material;

. Extending vaxially downwardly into the upper casing section 1in spaced relation l thereto is a discharge pipe'lOa through which liquid is forced upwardly by air forced down- Vwardlyin any suitable manner through the chamberll, around the discharge pipe 10a. It will be noted, by forcing the air through the chamber 11 and lifting the fluidthrough the pipe 10a, thefrictional engaging surface of the fluid is reduced to a minimum, thereby lreducing the'amount of power necessary for the fluid lifting operation. f Y.

Threaded at 12 on the lowerend of the "upper casing sectionfl isa yoke13, having an annularA passage therein ydesignated by the numeral 14, and through which passage air from the annular air Chamberli, around the discharge pipe 10a, passes toi the U-shaped air passage V15 in theV U-shaped supporting member 16, which supporting member supports the airy supply'pipe 17, which extends downwardly centrallyand axially into the ing section 1, is outside the discharge pipe 10a, but when it passes downwardly into the lower casing section 2, it is centrally of said lower section and is discharged into the cha-mber 18 through apertures 19 for lifting liquid which has previously risen into the casing chamber 18, around air pipe 17. Threaded on the-lower end of the discharge pipe V10a is a sleeve 20, and connecting said sleeve and thev member 13 is a nipple 21, through which liquid forced upwardlyin the direction of the arrows a,fpass, and it will be noted by will pass between'the arms 16a thereof, so that it may be dischargedaxially upwardly through the-discharge pipe 10a for reducing the frictional engagement of the liquid with pipe surfaces to a minimum. I

with an'enlargement 22 on which is threaded thebell 23 of a perforated cylinder 24,. and through which cylinder the perforations 19 extend. Disposed within the bell 23-V ofthe cylinder 24 is a disc 25 having apertures 26 therethrough, allowing passage of air, and

Vsection 2 is a base member 28, in' which is threaded the nipple 29, which is, in turn, threaded at on the lower end of the cylinder 24, and is provided with avalve seat 31,

Vwith which the valve 32 cooperates. Inthe present device there is absolutelyno pumping operation, and one of the lmain functions of the valve is to obviate any possibility of a suction in the bottom of-thecasing, which would stir up sand or agitate the material being lifted.

Referring to Figure 1a, the piston 32is sho-wn in its lower position seatedv on the yalve seat 31 for cutting olf the flow of fluid into the casing under natural pressure. The air forcing operation, hereinafter set forth. is an intermittent one, andv may vary as desired. With the showing in Figure la, air pressure is in the device, having been forced downwardly between the'upper casing section 1 and the inner discharge pipe 10a, thence through the U-shaped passage 15, through the pipe 17, disc 25, pipe section 24, where it has forcedthe piston 32 downwardly from the dotted line posit-ion tothe fullline position.

y Air pipe 17 has its lower end provided' Previousluid under natural pressure has i risen in the device, particularly in the pipe adapted to be disposed in a well, a valve.

inflow of fluid from the Well, the air pressure passes through the apertures 19 and forces the liquid in the chamber 18 upwardly, and transfers the same in the direction. of the arrows a, Figure 1, into the centrally disposed discharge pipe 10a. It will be noted that by discharging .the fluid through ia centrally disposed pipe 10a, that rthe frictional engagement of the fluid or liquid with the walls of the casing is reduced to a minimum, thereby allowing the use of a minimum amount of air pressure. VThis is an essential point when it is considered that Wells of this character are several thousand feet deep. It is obvious that if the liquid were discharged between the inner and outer casing 1 and 10a, there would be a maximum contact surface which would require a far greater air pressure. operation, air pressure is cut olf and the expansive action of the springQTa will raise the piston 32 to the dotted lineposition shown in Figure la, thereby uncovering the apertures .19 and again allowing the casing section chamber 18 to again fill under Jhe natural pressure of fluid from the well. A double piston is Yshown which cooperates with the apertures 19 whereby when the piston is in raised position, there will be a rapid lling of the chamber 18, and when in lowered position will uncover sufficient apertures for air pressure purposes. It is to be understood that any means may be used for supplying the air pressure, and the discharge pipe 17 Vmay lead to any suitable source of discharge.

From the above it will be seen that a well pumping device is provided which is simple in construction, one wherein air is used for forcing liquid from the well, and simultaneously sealing the bottom of the wellagainst sand and foreign matter, thereby allowing operation of the device at great depth. It will also be seen that the range of operation is Vmaterially.increased by discharging the liquid from Vthe centrally disposed discharge pipe where frictional surfaces are reduced to a minimum and utilizing Vthe annular cham-v ber around the discharge pipe for Ythe air pressure. It is to be understood-'that steam may be used instead of air for liftingpurposes, if desired.

The invention having been set forth what is claimed as new and useful is z-v V 1. A well pump comprising a casing K carried kby the lower end of said casing and moved to open position upon relief of fluid pressure within the well, a liquid discharge pipe disposed within the-.casing in spaced relation thereto thereby forming a chamberV around the discharge pipe through which air may be forced downwardly, means whereby air forced downwardly through the casing around the discharge' pipe` will engage After the first lifting Y of liquid into the casing, said valve being slidably mounted in a perforated pipe section in the low-er end of the casing and through the perforations of which liquid passes to achamber around thev perforated pipe section, a liquid discharge pipe extending downwardly into-the casing in spaced relation thereto, thereby forming-an air passage around the discharge pipe and means whereby "air passing'through said air passage will be discharged intoithe perforated pipe section and seat the valve, the continued lifting of theliquid maintaining the valve seated, said liquidbeing discharged through the discharge pipe. 4 C

3. A well pumping and discharging device comprising a casing adapted to extend downwardly into a well, said casing comprising an upper casing section, a lower casing section of greater diameter than the upper casing section, a coupling'connection between the upper' and lower casing. section, la, discharge pipe extending downwardly into the" upper casing section andterminating' adjacent its lower end, and forming an annular chamber through which air maybe forced, a Y-fitting connected. to 'the lower endof the uppersection and through which airis forced. 1

4. A well pumping and dischargingidevice I comprising .a main casing, meansffor admitting fluid into the lower end of the main casing, a liquid discharge pipe centrally of theV casing, an air discharge pipe extending to theY A well pumping anddischarging device i pipe,aY-connectionbetween a portion-of the casing, the discharge pipe andv the air supplypipe extending downwardly inthe .125

casing, said'Y forming means, whereby liquid forced upwardly in the casing will pass through the discharge pipe.

6. A wellpumping and discharging device comprising. a casing, ysaid casing `comprising an upper section, a lower section, apaclljoint connectionv between said sections, a discharge pipe extending axially through the vupper section in spaced relation thereto, thereby forming an air passage, a Y connection carried by the lower ends of the upper casing section and the discharge pipe and having air passages therethrough, an air discharge pipe connected to said Y and extending downwardly into the lower casing, a valve Yin the lower end ofthe casing, means for normally maintaining said valve open, said valve being closed by downwardly discharged air pressure, said air pressure forming means whereby liquid is forced upwardly around the Y and through the discharge pipe.

7 A well pumping and discharging device comprising a casing'having upper and lower sections, a packed coupling connection between said sections, the upper section being smaller than the lower section, a liquid discharge pipe extending downwardlyinto the upper section in spaced relation thereto, thereby forming anV air passage around the discharge pipe, a Y-coupling carried. by the lower end of the upper casing section, the arms of said Y coupling being disposed at opposite sides ofthe discharge pipe thereby forming passages of communication with the chamber of the lower section ofthe casing and an air discharge pipe connectedto the Y -coupling and extending downwardly into the lower casing.v

V8. A well pumping and discharging device comprising a casing having upper and lower casing sections, coupling sections between said sections, av liquid discharge pipe extending downwardly through the upper section in spaced relation thereto, thereby forming an air passage around the discharge pipe, a chambered member threaded on thel lower end of the upper casing section, a. coupling Iconnection between said member and the discharge pipe, a U-shaped connection carried by said chambered member and having its arms connected to the Vcha-mbered member at opposite sides of the coup-ling connection with the discharge pipe and provided with chambers in'communication with the chamber ofthe chambered member and a downwardly extending air discharge pipe carried by the U-shaped connection and terminating adjacent the lower end of the lower casing y section.

9. An oil well comprising inner and outer casings, a normally open valve carriedv by the lower end of the inner casing and above` intake ports in communication with the outer casing and means whereby air forced downwardly-through the outer casing around the inner casing will be by-passed into the lower end of the inner casing and seat the valve below the ports of communicationbetween the inner and outer casings and the continued air pressure will .pass through said:Y ports, lift thefiuid in the lower ,end of the. outer casing and means whereby said fluid is by-passed into the inner casingl above the valve. Y i

410. The combination with a fluid lifting well pump comprising inner and outer casings, valve means in the lower end of the inner casing and normally above ports of communication between the inner and outer casing, thereby all-owing fluid'r under natural pressure to rise in the outer casing, of means whereby air forced through the outercasing around the inner casing will be by-passed into vcasings adjacent their lower ends, a valve within one of said casings and normally disposed above ports of communication between A the casings, spring means for normally maintaining said valve in raised position, of means whereby fluid accumulated in the lower ends of the casings will be forcedA upwardly through the outer casing and by-passed into the inner` casing above the valve by air forced downwardly through the outer casing around the innercasing and by-passed into the inner casing above the valve.

12. The combination with a fluid pressure well comprising inner and outer casings, into the lower end of which fluid under natural pressure rises, of means whereby when air is forcedv downwardly through the outer casing around the inner casing, fluid from the well. will be cut ofi' and the air diverted whereby liquid will be forced upwardly'and bypassed into the inner casing. 13. The combination with va-fluid pressure well comprising inner and outer casings, a normally raised spring actuated valve in the lower end of the said inner casing above ports 0f communication between the casing chambers and into which liquid under natural pressure rises, of means whereby air forced downwardly through the outercasing around the inner casing will be by-passed into the inner casing above the valve means for forc? ing the same to closed position andl means whereby said air pressure will be diverted through the ports of communication with the outer casing chamber whereby liquid therein f comprising inner and outer casings into the lower ends of which fluid under natural pressure rises, an air controlled valve in the lower end of the lower casing for controlling the flow of liquid into the casing, of means where'- 

